1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to one piece earrings for pierced ears and, more particularly, to an earring which has a decorative part with a slot formed from its upper outer periphery to a middle area adjacent to an aperture. A transversely extending bar separates the slot from the aperture. An inverted J-shaped hook with a loop is pivotally connected to the bar for increased comfort when the wearer is talking on the telephone.
2. Description of the Background Art
Increasing numbers of both women and men are piercing their ears. As a result, the demand for earrings suitable for pierced ears is growing. Conventional earrings for pierced ears are comprised of two pieces. One piece contains the decorative section with a post section. The post is the section which is inserted through the hole of the earlobe of the wearer. The second piece is the stud. The stud is made to releasably lock over the end of the post section and insures that, once the earring is in place, the post section does not slip out of the ear lobe hole.
There are many problems which arise from conventional two piece earrings. One such problem is that the earring backing creates an uncomfortable pressure upon the lobe of the wearer. Such is also true of older clip-on earrings for non-pierced ears. Another problem results from phone usage since larger two piece earrings have a tendency to be uncomfortable when speaking on a phone. This is because they are located between the phone and the ear. To avoid the earring being uncomfortably sandwiched between the phone and ear, a wearer will take often off the earring before picking up a receiver. Such is also true for earrings for non-pierced ears. Still yet another problem arises due to the two piece nature of conventional earrings. The earring studs are frequently lost, making the decorative piece useless.
A wide variety of techniques are either employed commercially or are disclosed in the patent literature as attempting to solve the problems of conventional earrings. Note for example U.S. Pat. No. 2,629,989 to McDonald; U.S. Pat. No. 3,353,372 to Rapaport; U.S. Pat. No. 4,221,118 to Chicckine; U.S. Pat. No. 4,869,078 to Leith et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,879,882 to Johnson et al. All of these patents are substantially the same from the standpoint that the decorative part hangs below the pierced ear hole of the wearer minimizing the decorative effort of the earring. The present invention offers a decorative piece that extends above the pierced hole of the wearer, thereby substantially increasing the aesthetic value of the earring. U.S. Pat. No. 247,873 to Bassett does disclose an earring which extends partially above the pierced hole of the wearer, but it requires a complex spring biasing system incorporated into the pivot mechanism thereby increasing cost and complexity.
As illustrated by the large quantity of background art and commercial devices, efforts are continuously being made in an attempt to improve earrings and their means of attachment to the ear lobe. No prior effort, however, suggests the present inventive combination of component elements arranged and configured as disclosed herein. Prior earrings do not provide the benefits attendant with the present invention. The present invention achieves its purposes, objects and advantage over the prior art through a new, useful and unobvious combination of component elements, through the use of a minimum number of functioning parts, and through the use of only readily available materials and conventional components.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a one piece earring comprising a decorative part having a slot, the slot being formed from the periphery to a central section thereof, the decorative part also having a bar joining the two sides of the slot and located near the base of the slot; and an inverted J-shaped hook comprising a short section and a long section with a curved section therebetween, the short section having its end formed as a ring, the inverted J-hook being pivotally connected to the bar by the ring to allow for the extended rotation of the J-shaped hook through the slot.
It is a further object of the present invention to expand the decorative part of an earring and have it extend partially above the pierced ear hole of the wearer.
It is a further object of the present invention to increase user convenience by constructing a decorative part which is rotatable with respect to the J-shaped hook to facilitate easy removal from the ear as well as placement into the ear.
It is a further object of the present invention to maximize earring comfort by a design wherein the majority of the decorative part is located at the bottom section of the ear to facilitate the placement of a phone receiver adjacent a wearer's ear without an earring section therebetween.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the invention. These objects should be construed to be merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the intended invention. Many other beneficial results can be obtained by applying the disclosed invention in a different manner or modifying the invention within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the summary of the invention and the detailed description of the preferred embodiments in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.